


Babysitter

by lexieconextreme



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Alec Hardy is Ellie's On Call Babysitter, Alec yells at Tom for porn, Asexual Alec Hardy, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Fred is a cutie, Gen, I tried to sound British but I'm American, If You Squint - Freeform, No beta we fall like Crowley, Post-Season/Series 03, The Author Regrets Nothing, Uncle Alec loves his wee Fred can you tell, actually you don't need to squint, aka a missing scene from series 3, and Alec is soft despite the Scottish, except this takes place sometime after series 3 so idk, sorry - Freeform, speaking of, you don't even need reading glasses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-11-08 13:01:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20835887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lexieconextreme/pseuds/lexieconextreme
Summary: Alec stared at Miller's five-year-old in distaste and wondered, not for either the first or last time that evening, why he had agreed to do this. To babysit, of all things.





	Babysitter

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing.
> 
> I haven't written any fanfiction in well over a year, so we'll see how well this turns out. I also wrote this all on my phone at about 8-10 in the morning (which, for a third-shifter like myself, is like staying up til 3-4 in the morning to write). 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Alec stared at Miller's five-year-old in distaste and wondered, not for either the first or last time that evening, why he had agreed to do this. To _ babysit _, of all things. Maybe it was because Miller had given him that look of hers (not quite puppy-eyed because she knew he was immune to anything to do with puppies), but pleading all the same. 

_ A night to myself _ , she'd said. _ But I can't find a minder, not since, well…. _ She'd left the reasoning open, but it wasn't hard to decipher her meaning. And that was what had done him in. Since Joe had been arrested, tried, and released, half of Broadchurch and its outlying residents still thought Miller had known about Joe's actions. The Latimer's might have welcomed her back with open arms, but the rest of the town wasn't quite as forgiving. 

So Miller was having a quiet night in with Beth Latimer, leaving Alec Hardy alone with her two children.

The night had actually started off rather well, depending on how you chose to look at it. Tom had taken a single look at the man who'd arrested his father and retreated up the stairs with a half-mumbled excuse of homework. Alec was fine with that, really. He had absolutely no idea how to look Tom in the eye and act like everything was normal.

And now he was just left with wee Fred, who looked like he was about to start screaming any moment. Not that Alec could blame him. His mother leaves his side for the first time in months, only to be left with the world's shittiest substitute (Alec). He might've done the same in Fred's position.

The only problem with this was that Alec had absolutely no idea what to do with a screaming child. His own daughter, Daisy, was fifteen now. It had been years since Alec had done anything more than occasionally push Fred's stroller. And he hadn't really been around much for Daisy's own toddler years. Too many cases, too little time, too much fear of the level of commitment a child had created with a wife who was already cheating.

But trying to comfort the child before the crying started seemed preferable to the actual crying itself. So with great hesitance and a great deal of irritation aimed at Miller, wherever she may be, Alec carefully scooped Fred into his arms and did his best to murmur soothingly. Alec didn't have a naturally soothing personality, so really it was quite a feat that Fred calmed nearly immediately. After a few minutes, he was even chattering happily in Alec's ear.

A little of the tension that had gathered in his shoulders upon stepping foot in Miller's house eased. He didn't need a screaming child on his hands. 

"Alright, mate?" He murmured, carrying the boy slowly into the kitchen. "Let's see what your mum left us for dinner, eh?"

o.O.0.O.o

  


After his dinner, Fred fell asleep easily enough, something for which Alec was extremely grateful. Fred was an easy enough child, but after a while, there's only so much one can take. For Alec, a while just meant about half an hour.

After putting Fred down, Alec ventured down the hall to check on Tom, figuring Miller wouldn't be too pleased with him if her eldest child were to starve to death in his bedroom. Before he even reached the door, Alec could hear the sounds of the kind of video Tom had lost his phone for months ago. With a sudden burst of anger on Miller's behalf, he entered Tom's room with a slam of the door, walked up to Tom, who was clutching his stolen phone in shock, and snatched it from the teen's hand.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" Alec all but growled, only barely restraining a full shout. Even in the midst of his anger, he remembered that shouting at teenagers is never the way to get them to cooperate. 

"Give it back!" Tom snapped back, voice cracking and face flushing. Great, more hormones. But that's to be expected after the video Alec had just found him watching.

"Why should I?"

"Because it's mine!" 

Alec sneered. "No, you're gonna have to come up with a better reason than that. Good enough to convince a detective that you're not guilty of a crime. Are you that good, Tom?" He paused. "Are you better than your father?"

Tom glared up at him from the bed, but didn't speak.

"Good, now that I've got your _ silent _attention, you need to listen, Tom. Do you understand why your mother reacted the way she did?"

Tom shook his head, still silent. That was fine. Silence out of spite was something Alec understood well. He wondered vaguely if he should be concerned that his partner's son was acting like a criminal.

"Think of what your teachers think of this stunt you've pulled, what your principal thinks. Are you thinking about it?"

Tom nods again, looking more confused now. 

"Your teachers are thinking the words, 'Like father, like son,' Tom-" Tom already looked horrified, and Alec wasn't even finished yet. Good. "-And most people in Broadchurch still believe that your mother knew about Joe and Danny, and condoned it. Do you understand what that means?"

Tom nodded numbly, but Alec needed more than that. "Say it, Tom."

"It means they think Mum allows po- that sort of thing in the house. Maybe they think she encourages it."

"Exactly. And what do you think your Mum's thinking about you right now, now that she's discovered you with porn, at school?" Alec stared him down, refusing to break eye contact. Tom _ needed _to understand the impact his choices were having. For his part, Tom stared back nervously and fidgeted, like he didn't want to be thinking the things he was thinking. 

Tom swallowed, cleared his throat, swallowed again. "She might be scared that I'm going to turn out like my dad."

Alec nodded, enforcing the thought. "Do you understand now? Why your Mum reacted like that, why you can't afford to behave like this?"

Tom nodded again. It seemed like this was the only communication Alec would be getting from now on. He was fine with that. It meant his point was sinking in.

Alec straightened from where he'd leaned against the bureau, not even realizing he'd taken the position. He'd automatically displayed the sort of withdrawn, unreadable body language he only relinquished on suspects. He hadn't even noticed. Alec desperately hoped that wasn't some sort of psychological bullshit that said he subconsciously thought Tom was a true criminal. He didn't need Miller hating him for the arrest of another family member.

Maybe. . . A final test, then. 

He stepped closer to Tom Miller, offering his phone back. "But it's your choice, Tom. I won't stop you, either way. The only thing I have to say is, if you're not going to think about yourself and your own future, think of your Mum's."

Tom stared at his phone, proffered freely in Alec's hand. To his credit, it took him a mere five seconds to come to a decision. Alec had been betting on ten, maybe fifteen.

"You keep it," he muttered, barely loud enough to hear.

"What was that?"

"I said keep it, old man," Tom said, louder, with a slight snap in his voice. His eyes moved back to meet Alec's. "I don't need it."

"Good decision, lad." Alec stuffed the phone in his pocket. "And. . . I don't think there's any need to tell your Mum about any of this, eh?"

The slightest grin appeared on Tom's face. "Thanks, Hardy."

A disgruntled scowl found its way back onto Alec Hardy's face. "Yeah. Now, what I came up here to tell you, was that I've fed your brother and he's asleep. Make sure to eat something some time tonight, huh?"

"You're not my parent," Tom snarked.

"Damn right."

"You're my babysitter, and you don't get to tell me what to do." Ignoring Alec's offended lower jaw on the floor, Tom stood and physically but gently pushed Alec out the door. "I'll be down later. Just keep an eye on Fred. He sleepwalks sometimes."

Tom shut the door in Alec's face. Alec took a moment, then went to check on Fred, slightly disturbed by the idea of a sleepwalking five year old, then made his way back down the stairs.

He made sure to leave a good helping of the leftovers on a plate for Tom, then went into the sitting room and sat heavily on the couch. Idly, Alec pulled Tom's phone out of his pocket and stared at it. Technology had made raising children all that much harder in the last few decades, and he was sure Daisy didn't give him half as much trouble as Tom gave Miller.

The phone wasn't password protected, which was quite strange for a teenager with illicit porn in his pocket. But Tom had also been cocky, so maybe not. 

Alec swiped the screen, scrunching his nose in disgust when the video automatically played. He'd never understood what the great fuss was about sex. Everyone else liked it, wanted to talk about it. Men seemed to think that the number of partners they'd had signified their manhood, as if it gave them some sort of power. 

Alec had just never gotten that. He didn't mind it, certainly not when his own partners wanted it, but he never cared much for it himself. He could happily live the rest of his life and never have sex again.

But that was enough of that. He deftly deleted everything he could find off of Tom's phone. Maybe tomorrow he'd ask someone more experienced to make sure it was all gone, but for now, the phone was benign enough.

And he nearly dropped it when a sleepy voice startled him. "Uncle Alec?"

Really, Alec was never going to forgive Miller for teaching Fred to call him that. He wasn't anybody's uncle, and he hated his name. To hear it in conjunction with 'uncle' was one of his bigger pet peeves in life. Not that he was going to be angry with Miller for it.

Instead, he turned his attention to the sleepy five year old. "What are you doin' awake, wee Fred?"

"Couldn't sleep," he yawned, shoving a fist into his eye and rubbing it. "Nightmare." Abruptly, his lip began to wobble, as if the details were suddenly coming back to him.

Alec had never lurched to his feet quite so quickly in his life. The last time had probably been when Daisy was a baby, on one of the few nights he was actually home. Daisy had woken he and Tess up with an angry wail, and Tess had literally shoved him out of bed to go to soothe her. Daisy had taken a breath, then released her next cry, louder than the last. Tess probably would have divorced him there and then if he hadn't gone to make her crying stop.

"It's alright, wee Fred." He whispered, kneeling next to the crying boy. Alec was truly concerned now. Usually, children cry when they want attention. For babies, it's basic needs. For older children, it's because they're in distress and they want an adult to know about it. So they cry loudly. But when children cry quietly, it's because something is truly wrong. The only thing Alec had ever really noticed about Daisy's childhood. The only thing he had been good about noticing was when she was in true pain.

And Fred was crying quietly. His nightmare had truly scared him. Alec reached out hesitantly, unsure if he should actually touch the boy. Deciding on yes, the instant Alec touched him, Fred launched himself into Alec's chest and clutches at his shirt. This is was far as Alec's experience took him. He had no idea of what to do with a crying, clinging child just out of his toddler years.

Perhaps just continue with the hugging and soothing? It had seemed to work earlier. And Fred was truly distressed, his nightmare, whatever it was, having scared the living shite out of him. It didn't seem like the clinging was going to stop soon.

Carefully, he climbed to his feet and carried himself and the little boy over to the sofa and sat down upon it. Immediately, Fred curled himself completely into Alec's lap while keeping his arms wrapped securely around Alec's neck. His shudders and cries had nearly stopped, Alec noticed.

"Do you want to tell me what your nightmare was about, wee Fred?"

"Daddy," Fred whispered. Alec stiffened. "I dreamed he was coming to hurt you and Mumma and Tom."

Alec was trapped between feeling flattered that Fred liked him so much he was scared for him, and worried about how much Fred knew about his father. He couldn't know that much, right? It wasn't like he would remember that far back, his memory not being fully developed yet. And who would tell him? What kind of person would tell five year old Fred exactly how his father had hurt so many people?

"What do you know about your dad, Fred?"

"Just that he makes Mumma sad and Tom angry. Sometimes it's the other way around, and sometimes it's both."

That would be enough, wouldn't it? Enough for anyone, really.

"Well, don't you worry, wee Fred. I won't let your dad anywhere near Tom or your Mum." He squeezed the child a little tighter. "He can't ever hurt them, or you, again."

"You're going to protect us?" Alec tried to ignore the plain awe in Fred's little voice and tried to put as much conviction into his own as he could muster. It wasn't difficult.

"Always." And he meant it.

Fred was silent for so long, Alec thought he'd finally fallen asleep. But eventually, he spoke again.

"Can I sleep with you, please, Uncle Alec?" Alec nearly groaned. If the kid hadn't stuck the words, 'Please, Uncle Alec?' at the end of his sentence in such a piteous, pleading tone of voice, Alec could have said no and felt no guilt whatsoever. As it was, he simply sighed and checked the time on Tom's phone, which still sat on the arm of the sofa. It was late, too late for Fred to be up.

"Fine, yeah, I guess. But I'm sleeping here on the sofa, so we're both gonna have to budge over if we want to fit comfortably." Fred seemed not at all bothered by this and was more than willing to move while Alec manoeuvred his way around the sofa till he was lying down under a quilt. He lifted the edge and allowed Fred to climb up and snuggle down beside him. Alec tried to ignore the telltale sounds of a pull-up underneath Fred's onesie as they both settled. 

They both fell asleep quickly, Fred from pure exhaustion, while for Alec, it was more the uncommon feeling of safety and security wrapped around him like Miller's quilt. Or maybe it was just Fred, who'd managed to shift the blanket to the floor and sprawl out over the rest of the couch. The rest of the couch, meaning Alec Hardy.

At about two in the morning, Tom Miller had come down the stairs to finally investigate food options when he came across one of the funnier sights he'd seen in his life. Spotting his phone on the side table, Tom grinned and picked it up, opening the camera app and snapping a few pictures, before opening Messenger with only a moment of hesitation.

**Messenger**

**Mum**

**9 AUG AT 2:01 AM**

Mum, I know Im not sposed to have my pho e but

[_ image attached: _bestfriends.jpeg]

[_ image attached: _hesgonnahatemebut.jpeg]

[_ image attached: _socuute.jpeg]

U can have it back.now ill leave it on ur desk in ur room

TOM!

I'm not angry, but tha k u for being honest with me

And also for sharing those pics, talk about blackmail of the century

now got o bed, well talk in the morning

Goodnight mum

I love you

I love you too sweetheart

o.O.0.O.o

Ellie nearly ran home in the morning, although it wasn't like the commute was far. Just across a field, after all. But she really wanted to get home in time to catch Hardy and Fred on the couch together. Obviously, she had Tom's photos, but this was the sort of thing one had to see in person in order to really believe.

She entered quietly, shutting the door behind before she slowly let go of the knob and tiptoed into the next room. True to the pictures, Hardy truly was splayed out on the couch, Fred on top of him. Their positions had changed in the night, but they were both still out like lights. 

A small creak in the entry to the dining room told Ellie Tom was up, and she glanced up and grinned at him. He smiled back, which was a pleasant surprise, given the way the last few months had gone. She took out her own phone and snapped a few more pictures to send to Beth later before going to meet Tom, who had retreated back to his cereal.

She sat beside him, wondering how to begin the conversation. "Thought you'd have taken your phone back for good, given the chance."

"Me too."

". . . What changed?"

"Hardy. I did steal it back, but he caught me and yelled at me. Made me understand."

"Made you understand what, Tom?" She asked, throwing an angry look in Hardy's direction.

"How I was hurting you."

"Oh, sweetheart, you weren't-"

"But I was, Mum," he interrupted. "I was hurting you, and he made me understand that." He turned to look Ellie fully in the eyes. "I won't do it again, Mum. Not ever."

"Oh, Tom." Ellie was trying not to cry, she really was. She knew how he hated her crying.

"You can cry, Mum." No, now she was just a lost cause.

"Oh, I'm gonna kick his Scottish arse," she said, speaking through watery gasps. She laughed, then, and after a moment, Tom joined in.

"Oi Miller, what'd I do this early in the morning to deserve an arse-kicking?" Hardy appeared a moment later, looking incredibly bedraggled with his hair stuck up in all the wrong directions, his glasses askew, and a five year old still attached to his neck.

"Stealing my child, for one," she said, in an effort to get her tears to stop and to take his attention away from the topic. "Looks like he's taken quite a shine to his Uncle Alec."

"I will never forgive you for teaching him to call me that," Hardy grumbled, aiming for a chair and sitting heavily in it, arms still full of Fred. "Why were you crying, Miller?" He cast a suspicious look at Tom.

"Just got emotional, you know me." She wrapped her arms around Tom, who, to his credit, looked only mildly uncomfortable. "Had a good talk with my son."

"Well, have a good talk with this one then," he said, offering her Fred. "I need to go home and see Daisy."

"Right." She accepted the Fred bundle, who cried a little at the loss of his favorite non-uncle. "See you in a few hours, sir."

Hardy grunted noncommittally, stood to gather his belongings, and made for the door.

"Oi, old man." Hardy turned to glare at Tom, waiting. "Come hang out again, sometime, yeah?"

Hardy stared a moment further. Another grunt, and he was gone.


End file.
